


don't play with fire (unless you wanna get burned)

by akapeterman



Series: peter parker picked a pack of parental figures [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Hurt Peter, Hurt Peter Parker, Hydra (Marvel), Minor Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Not Canon Compliant, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Mess, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, alternate plot line, but he will be there soon i promise, but he's getting his shit together, but infinity war doesn't happen in this, he's not in the first few chapters, i guess, kind of, or just like, peter parker has big tony stark energy in this, slowly, so this is kind of an AU, yeah the universe is mostly the same
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 16:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19890577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akapeterman/pseuds/akapeterman
Summary: Peter was in the middle of a physics lesson when the amber alert went off. He wasn't expecting his search to get him wrapped up in something a little bigger than he was equipped to handle. Luckily, he's got enough people in his corner to guide him through this new world of responsibilities.(or: tony stark isn't the only one with a soft spot for kids)rated teen for mild language :)story title is from Grace VanderWaal's song "Burned". go check it out!





	don't play with fire (unless you wanna get burned)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw for a missing child (warnings will be updated as story progresses)
> 
> Finding a lost child based on limited information was arguably harder than Peter had anticipated. He didn’t think that six hours later he would still be swinging around, searching every warehouse and ally he could think of.  
> Karen had been a big help, but that didn’t quite make up for the fact that he didn’t even know where someone would take a child. Or why, for that matter, but that was a whole other train of thought that had him disgusted in humanity and he decided against following it. He just wanted to return this girl safely home to her parents.

Peter was in the middle of a physics lesson when the amber alert went off. The sudden, harsh sound emitted from all of the phones in the room had the entire class jumping. Practically simultaneously, every student in the room immediately pulled out their phones to check what was wrong.  


Peter’s eyes went wide as he read the alert. A 6-year-old girl named Mary White was last seen near Central Park getting into a car. There wasn’t a lot of information on her abductor, only that he was a man, likely middle-aged, dressed in all black. His face had been covered.  


All the students were chatting about the disruption. Ms. Warren tried to settle the class and resume the lesson, but there was something unnerving about the sound of an amber alert that always left everyone’s heart racing with adrenaline.  


Especially one Peter Parker.  


The back of his neck was prickling in anticipation for a fight and he wanted nothing more than to get out of class and go lend a hand to the authorities as his alter ego. He knew Aunt May and Mr. Stark both enforced the rule of ‘no crime-fighting during school hours’, and it was a bit of a stretch to be searching Queens seeing as the girl went missing in uptown Manhattan, but this was an abduction. 

He wanted to do anything he could to help this little girl. It wasn’t a cat stuck in a tree or a Dominican lady needing directions; it was an abducted 6-year-old who was probably terrified, if she wasn’t dead already.  


Peter shuddered at the thought, his nails digging into his palms as he nudged Ned.  


“I need to go, can you help me out?”  


“By doing what? Are you going to search for the little girl? Do you know her?”  


“Yeah, just tell the teacher I’m sick or something while I slip out.”  


“What are you gonna do once you’re outside?”  


“Hopefully kick some bad guy ass.”  


“Awesome.” Ned’s hand shot up.  


“Ms. Warren, Peter’s not feeling well. He’s going to go to the nurse.” Ms. Warren walked over to their desks near the back of the class.  


“Mr. Parker, this is a review for the test tomorrow. Can you wait until lunch to leave so you can try and wait it out and see if you’re feeling any better?”  


No, Peter thought. He was hoping to just rush out as soon as Ned had said something, hoping that if his friend did it then there would be less questions asked. Desperate times call for desperate measures.  


Thinking quickly, he made as though he was going to nod before quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, doubling over slightly.  


Shaking his head, he mumbled out, “I think ‘m gonna puke.”  


That seemed to do the trick. A brief look of panic flashed across his teacher’s face before she nodded. “Very well. Ned, take Peter to the nurse.” Both boys nodded in confirmation before scurrying out of the classroom.  


Once they were in the hallway by the doors, Ned turned to Peter.  


“Dude, when did you get so good at acting?”  


“After my fourth or fifth concussion, I started picking things up.”  


“Cool.” Ned nodded and reached out to commence their handshake. “Good luck, Peter. Don’t die. Text me when you get home or if you need your guy in the chair at all.”  


“Of course. I’ll be back before you know it, man.”  


****  


Finding a lost child based on limited information was arguably harder than Peter had anticipated. He didn’t think that six hours later he would still be swinging around, searching every warehouse and ally he could think of.  


Karen had been a big help, but that didn’t quite make up for the fact that he didn’t even know where someone would take a child. Or why, for that matter, but that was a whole other train of thought that had him disgusted in humanity and he decided against following it. He just wanted to return this girl safely home to her parents.  


Peter finally decided on taking a break after his the growl his stomach emitted was particularly ferocious and had him miscalculating a jump. He ended up hitting the edge of the rooftop with an unfortunate oof. That was going to leave a bruise.  


“Hey, Karen,” Peter greeted his AI.  


“Hello, Peter. How may I help you?”  


“What are some good places to get food close to here?”  


“There’s a McDonald's, Weinstein Subs and Sandwiches, Chick-Fil-A and an Arby’s all within a mile of your current location.”  


“Thanks!”  


Craving his usual after school snack, he gravitated towards the sandwich shop down the street from the roof he crashed on. He didn’t really recognize where he was, but it seemed vaguely familiar so Peter deemed the area a safe enough place to eat at.  


Once he slipped into the neutral coloured shop, he spotted a young cop, probably in his late 20s. Peter was debating on leaving to avoid him when he heard someone calling his name.  


“Hey, look! It’s Spidey!” Too late. The voice had come from an innocent onlooker who was just admiring the hero, but Peter couldn’t help but feel a tad annoyed at the sudden recognition.  


Don’t get him wrong, he usually loved the attention, but cops weren’t always exactly his biggest fans and he was hoping to avoid an uncomfortable confrontation today. This little girl business had him really unnerved, his spider sense tingling uncomfortably and giving him a headache. The people really weren’t helping, and he just wanted to eat his meal and get back out there.  


After taking a few selfies, Peter finally had his sandwich and was ready to swing away to enjoy his purchase at a quieter location, aka a rooftop nearby, when the police officer approached him.  


“Hey, Spider-Man.” Peter tried to use a lower voice as he spoke. It was still a little higher pitched than he would have liked.  


“Uh, hey, man. What’s up?”  


“Can we talk...outside?” The police officer was glancing around nervously. Peter was hesitant to follow, but his neck wasn’t tingling any more than usual so he walked behind the man until they were standing outside the shop, tucked away from the busy streets of Queens.  


“Sorry about that, Spidey. I didn’t want the locals hearing too much...they get panicked and with all the chaos already about Mary, we don’t need that. I’m Mike, by the way.” He held his hand out. Peter grasped it firmly and shook. Mike whistled.  


“You’ve got a firm grip on you there, kid.”  


“I get that a lot. Spider strength, all that.” Peter tapped his biceps, humor laced in his voice. Mike smiled a bit at that, but his eyebrows were still furrowed.  


“Ah. That’s cool.” His voice was a little distracted, Peter noted. He seemed like he was physically present, but he was thinking about something else.  


“So, what do you need? I’m guessing this isn’t just a friendly chat.”  


“You’re right about that. You’ve probably heard about the little girl who’s gone missing, right?” Peter nodded in confirmation, his head tilting a bit to show his concern.  


“The little girl, Mary, is my niece. This isn’t yet public knowledge, but my brother-in-law, her dad, passed away a few weeks ago. Car accident.” Peter noticed the slight emphasis on ‘accident’, and the way his face tightened. He had an idea of where this was going.  


“It was wrapped up a little too quickly for my liking. Especially with Mary going missing so soon after, I believe that someone is specifically targeting the family. And I need to ask you a favour, if that’s alright?” Peter nodded immediately.  


“Anything.”  


“God, this is a lot to ask, I know, but I need you to keep an eye on my sister, Amelia. We’re searching everywhere for Mary, but my superior officer said it isn’t of enough concern to have need to watch Amelia right now. Guy thinks I’m just being paranoid. Don’t get me wrong, she’s incredibly capable of taking care of herself, but she’s still grieving. She’s vulnerable right now.” 

Peter was quiet for a moment, struggling to process all this information.  


“Uh, yeah, of course I can do that. It’s just...I’ve never really taken care of a specific person before? Like, do you want me to just watch for threats from nearby?”  


“No. I have an idea of who these guys are, and they’re stealthy. I’m not saying you don’t have a great eye, I’ve seen some of the stuff you’ve done, but these guys are scarily elite. They’re beyond even the police force’s capabilities.”  


“What do you want me to do then?”  


“I can walk you over, and explain the situation to her. I’m so sorry about this, Spider-Man. I would do it myself, but my captain has everyone out searching for Mary or on other emergencies. Of course, I’m grateful for that, but I need someone to take care of my sister, too. And I don’t know you well, but as I’ve said before, I’ve seen some of the stuff you’ve done. I trust you, Spidey. So, what do you say?” 

Peter was hesitant to answer. He needed to think everything through. This was a suspicious situation, but his spidey sense was calm around Mike. He actually reminded Peter a little of Uncle Ben, not that he let that cloud his judgement. Mike seemed genuinely concerned about his family.  


“Yeah,” Peter finally said. “I’ll do it.”  


“Thank you so much, Spidey,” Mike uttered, gratitude plainly written across his face.  


“No problem, man. It’s what I do. But can I ask you a question?”  


“Shoot.”  


“You said you have an idea of who these guys are. Who exactly are you thinking of that’s so dangerous?”  


“You ever heard of HYDRA?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter done! Not entirely sure if this is a solid opening, but it was a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoy :)  
> It's probably not a good thing but I crave validation so leave comments to say what you think! Constructive criticism is welcomed:)

**Author's Note:**

> I have another story that I wrote for religion class that I want to put out there but for it to work I need this fanfic to set the whole story up and now I've become attached to this plot line and what was supposed to be a oneshot just grew.  
> Stay tuned if you like this fic for more works to come :)


End file.
